Happy Birthday...Nathaniel!!

Today...is our son-in-laws 30th birthday...the man that we have prayed for since the day our daughter was born. The young man that was to be our daughters husband, father to their children and the best friend a person could ask for...was born unbeknownest to us...on this day 30 years ago....just 3 months before our daughter was born, her future HUSBAND was born...in a small town in Illinois!! We love this guy...look at that face, how can you not love him? Look at his smile...a smile that is bigger than life and that can light up a room from wherever he is...a young man that has made our daughter a very happy young lady...a man that is about to become a father himself... a young man that is just a pure joy to have in our lives...I know his parents are very proud of him...as they should be.

I thought I would just tell you a little about this young man...the man that we have all grown to love more with each passing day. Nathaniel or "Nat' as he is known to family and friends...is obviously a very handsome young man as is evident in all his pictures...but more than that he is a very smart young man, a man with a big heart and a very sweet nature about him...my daughter LOVES all of these attributes in him and why wouldn't she? He is also someone that lives life to it's fullest...not a day goes by that I think he waste any time just cruisin along. On the other hand, he works hard, he plays hard, but he always knows when it is time to re-charge. He loves the outdoors, he loves to ski, bike, camp and hike...not to mention fish, hunt and play any outdoor game or activity you can mention...AND he is one of the most entertaining "Guesstures" players I've ever seen! He has introduced our family to such a wide variety of fun things to do...from playing "hillbilly golf" and listening to all types of music to finding such beauty in the simplest of things. Nat is professionally a hydro-geologist...something I think he was born to do. I think he might have known very early on in his life that this was the job for him...geology of some sort was to be a part of his life. Nat is an eagle-scout...something that I think is a huge accomplishment and certainly a sign of how dedicated and determined he is...he achieved this at a very early age and I know this gave him great satisfaction in achieving. He is also a huge lover of animals...especially dogs (see how trustworthy he is, you can't be a dog-lover and not be trustworthy in my book)...I don't think I've ever seen someone that is so in-tune with their dog as Nat is with the current baby of the family...Corinna! One thing that always gives me such pleasure when I'm around Nat is that he loves to laugh...he has one of the best laughs and smiles I've ever had the privilege of knowing...but most of all one of the BEST things I can think of when I think of Nathaniel is that HE LOVES OUR DAUGHTER...and she LOVES him. What more could a mom hope for in a son-in-law.

Nat is about to become a father himself (we are so thrilled as they are, too)...and I know he's going to be a GREAT dad...he's going to show this child so much love, understanding and commitment to life and love that this child will not want for anything he/she may need. He will teach our future grand baby a lot about life and what is important...just through example of loving our daughter, loving life and showing him/her what God has in store for this sweet family. We are so thankful for this young man...the man that was to be our son-in-law from the day he was born...the young man that I had prayed about for so many years but never knew; until he walked into our daughters life about 6 years ago...the man that was to be the BEST son-in-law we could have ever dreamed of having.



The BEST smile...EVER...he's always so happy...he reminds me a lot of my own dad...in that he is always smiling and always happy. What an ideal kind of guy!!






This is a picture of Nat on the last hunting trip he and my guys took in October...hunting/hiking/backpacking/horseback riding into the Montana and Idaho wilderness. I think Nat would agree with me...in saying...it was a slice of HEAVEN and he enjoyed every minute of it!






HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! NATHANIEL BRUCE...WE LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY!!